: We recently bought our home. It is aproximately 55-60 years old. I call it clay, but it may be cast iron pipe. Our toilet plugged one day, we ran a 50' electric drain snake down the main line under the house. We ended up digging up and making visible the pipe line that goes to the cities line. Now we have standing waste water in our back yard from the exposed pipe. WHY? Why won't the water drain? Yes there is a small whole from which it comes out when we shower or flush. But why won't it drain back into itself? It has to be draing somewhat, otherwise the back yard would be completely flooded with waste water. We dug this line up so as to replace it, but now we aren't sure how to proceed. Do we really need too? Do we just break a section and run a snake down at that point to see if there is another obstruction? Please, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have to do this ourselves, there is no money to call a plumber at this time. And this is not something we can just let go unattended.